Wildfire service starting to pack up camp

Crews are officially winding down their work on the Keremeos Creek wildfire.

“Over the next five days, operations on the Keremeos Creek wildfire will be downsized as activity continues to decrease. By next week, the camp located in Oliver will be demobilized and resource numbers on this fire will be reduced,” the BC Wildfire Service said in its final update on the fire, which has been classified as “being held” since Aug. 26.

The fire was reported July 29 about 20 kilometres southwest of Penticton and triggered evacuation orders and alerts for nearly 2,000 properties, although just one home and one outbuilding have been reported destroyed.

“There are still burning stumps and single trees within the fire’s perimeter. Fire burning at a safe distance within the existing perimeter will be allowed to burn and self-extinguish. Hotspots or single trees being consumed do not threaten further spread at a sufficient distance from control lines. Smoke will continue to be visible from Highway 3A and surrounding communities until significant rainfall, which is common with large wildfires. Smoke appearing from well within the fire perimeter is expected,” continued the statement.

“In more active areas of the fire, crews have used a combination of direct attack, wet-lining and patrol to extinguish or remove available fuels 30 to 60 metres from the edge of the fire inward.

“Wildfires in the south Okanagan continue to burn at a low intensity through the fall until winter. As a result, smoke may be visible within the perimeter for several weeks. When possible, allowing natural wildfire extinguishment is healthy for the ecosystem and reduces wildfire risk in the future. However, smoke from outside the fire’s perimeter should be reported to 1 800 663-5555 toll-free, *5555 on a cellphone or through the BC Wildfire Service app.”